Tim Tebow kicks hot streak up a notch, sparks promotion talk

Tim Tebow was already on a hot streak, but on Wednesday he took it to a new level.

Tebow went 3-for-4 as his Columbia Fireflies shut out the Asheville Tourists 5-0. Hitting out of the No. 6 spot, he scored two runs and roped a triple down the right field line to go with his two line-drive singles.

Tebow now has three multihit games in the last six days and is 9-for-20 (.450) at the plate during that same span. After a long slump, he’s now worked his way up to a .246 batting average to go along with his .415 slugging percentage.

The former Heisman winner has also contributed on the defensive side. On Tuesday he gunned a runner out at second base.

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For someone who essentially hadn’t been around competitive baseball in more than 10 years, the improvement Tebow has shown in a short span is nothing short of remarkable. His performance, coupled with his ability to fill ballparks (Fireflies ticket sales are up nearly 2,000 per game over last year) and sell merchandise, has fueled talk about a possible promotion to the next level of the Mets farm system.

“The Fireflies are also selling a ton of Tebow merchandise, such as jerseys and shirts … Love him or hate him, Tebow is marketing machine,” CBS MLB reporter Mike Axisa wrote recently.

“Because of that, I expect the Mets to promote Tebow to High Class-A fairly soon. Unlike the Fireflies, the Mets own their High-A affiliate, the St. Lucie Mets. That means the increased ticket and merchandise sales puts the money directly in their pocket. Not to mention, the former Gator would be back playing in the state of Florida,” Axisa predicts.

When asked about the possibility of a Tebow promotion, Fireflies manager Jose Leger gave some insight into the complex process.

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“It is hard to predict when it happens. A lot depends on what is happening in the level above. Whenever they decide it, he will be ready. He is just working hard and we are going day by day,” Leger told The State.

Tebow and the Fireflies will travel to Hickory, North Carolina, on Thursday for a four-game series against the last-place Crawdads.